Save the restaurant. Save the town. Get the girl. Make Abuela proud. Can thirteen-year-old Arturo Zamora do it all or is he in for a BIG, EPIC FAIL?
For Arturo, summertime in Miami means playing basketball until dark, sipping mango smoothies, and keeping cool under banyan trees. And maybe a few shifts as junior lunchtime dishwasher at Abuela’s restaurant. Maybe. But this summer also includes Carmen, a poetry enthusiast who moves into Arturo’s apartment complex and turns his stomach into a deep fryer. He almost doesn’t notice the smarmy land developer who rolls into town and threatens to change it. Arturo refuses to let his family and community go down without a fight, and as he schemes with Carmen, Arturo discovers the power of poetry and protest through untold family stories and the work of José Martí.
Funny and poignant,The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamorais the vibrant story of a family, a striking portrait of a town, and one boy's quest to save both, perfect for fans of Rita Williams-Garcia.A 2018 Pura Belpré Author Honor Book An E.B. White Read-Aloud Middle Reader Award finalist A 2018 Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year Amazon Best Children's Books of 2017 Publishers Weekly Flying Start Kirkus Reviews Best Fiction of 2017 Chicago Public Library Best Book on 2017 NYPL Best Books for Kids 2017 2017 Nerdy Book Award Winner 2018 Texas Lone Star Reading List Selection 2018-2019 Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children’s Book Award Nominee 2018-2019 Sunshine State Young Readers Award Nominee Charlotte Observer Best Books of 2017 for Young Readers News & Observer Best Books for Young Readers
Praise forThe Epic Fail of Arturo Zamoraby Pablo Cartaya: